


Freedom

by Otaku67



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Time period, Alternate Universe - Slavery, Angst, Family, Friendship, Gen, Implied Relationships, Mental Instability, Orphans, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-21 19:30:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2479802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otaku67/pseuds/Otaku67
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For nine years, Haruka Nanase and Makoto Tachibana have been living on Sunrise Farm: the property of a slave owner that obtains most of his slaves by pretending to be a philanthropist. Makoto, along with the other boys and girls enslaved there, have their own ways of coping with their dreadful situation; but not Haruka. He wants to be free.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> I digress, I can't really say I'm sure on what time period this fic takes place in. All I can say is this takes place sometime in the past, when slavery was most popular. This also may not be accurate to the times, because this is loosely based off of AMERICAN slavery.  
> Regardless, I hope you enjoy. (:

Waking up each morning to the sound of birds chirping. Long days under the blue sky, your hair constantly being tousled by the wind. Fields of luscious grain stretching as far as the eye can see. Three meals a day, made just for you. Children laughing happily. Spending every waking moment with the friends you hold dearest.... It is a picture of paradise.

 

It’s interesting how covering up a few details can take the image of Hell, and distort it into something heavenly. Sunrise Farm was far from a picture of paradise.

 

A more accurate description of Sunrise Farm: waking up just before the crack of dawn, while it seems the rest of the world is still sleeping. The birds won’t start chirping until well after you’ve already begun preparing for your day. You will be outside from the time the sky is blue (but also when it’s covered in gray clouds) until it turns black, regardless of the weather: crisp cold, stale heat, strong winds, light rain. You _pray_ for a day of blue skies and a breeze. The only weather that will excuse you from work when it’s storming. Fields of luscious grain stretching as far as the eye can see- fields that you will tend to for hours and hours and hours, never being able to reach the end no matter how much time you spend. Three low-quality meals a day, and never more than that, made just for you because if you starve to death, the farm will lose a worker. Children laughing because hearing their own laughter and feigning any form of joy is the only way to cling to their sanity. Spending every waking moment with the friends you hold dearest because they are suffering through this hell right there with you, and you have to keep them close because they are all you have anymore.

 

This is the life that Haruka Nanase has lived for nearly ten years.

 

Haruka has never been alone on Sunrise Farm; that much can be said. From the very beginning, he had been accompanied by Makoto Tachibana, his dearest companion since childhood. Rin and Gou Matsuoka joined them the following year, and the year after that, Rei Ryugazaki and Nagisa Hazuki. The three Mikoshiba siblings (Seijurou, Momotarou, and- well, nobody really knows their sister’s name) came later, and then Aiichirou Nitori. Master Shigino had not brought anyone to the farm since Sosuke Yamazaki, who was nearing his fifth year of enslavement; perhaps he felt his collection of workers had reached a satisfactory amount. Oh, and there was Kisumi. Kisumi had always been there.

 

It was never lonely on Sunrise Farm, that was true. But loneliness was the only negative emotion that was never felt there. Suffering. Neglect. Hunger. Anger. Hatred. Despair. Longing. Hopelessness. These feelings and more like them are what were most commonly felt on Sunrise Farm. The children- or, young adults, as they could be considered at this point in time- came to dread the concept of “sunrise;” because whenever the sun rose, they knew they had to live through another day in this absolute hell.


	2. Prologue (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Makoto, Haruka, Rin, and Gou ended up at Sunrise Farm.

Nine years ago.

 

The Tachibanas and the Nanases had lived next door to each other for years. The Tachibanas were lovely people, noted in the village for their generosity and kindness. The Nanases were kind, as well… But not very grounded. Ever since they gave birth to their first and only son, Haruka, they had done a lot of traveling about, searching for God only knows what. Sometimes they brought their little boy with them, but more often than not, he only got in their way, so they would leave him in the care of their neighbors. On some occasions, they forgot to notify the neighbors of their leave, and left poor Haruka to tend to himself.

 

The boy could cook full meals for himself by the time he was six years old.

 

At this point in his life, he assumed and silently accepted that he had become an orphan. His parents had left on one of their journeys when he was eight years old, and now his ninth birthday had passed. Previously, their longest trip had lasted only three months. Haruka didn’t expect them to come back.

 

But that was alright. Haruka enjoyed solitude, and his cooking was better than his parents’ anyway. The Tachibanas treated him well; Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana took care of him when he lacked the ambition to take care of himself, Makoto (who was the same age as Haruka and indisputably his best friend on the planet) provided him with company when he desired it, and Ren and Ran- the darling little twin toddlers- thought Haruka was just about the most fantastic person to ever breathe.

 

Sometimes, Haruka didn’t feel as if “Nanase” suited him well. He often felt as if he was a Tachibana.

 

One day, Haruka was feeling a bit lonely. So, as per his typical routine, he slipped out of his house, took a few steps around the corner, and knocked on the Tachibana’s door. ...nobody answered. That was very odd… Well, they had always told Haruka that he was welcome in their home anytime, so instead of knocking again, he let himself in. “Hello?” he called softly. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was a little nervous.

 

“Oh, hello, Haru!” Haruka’s shoulders fell in relief. Makoto was home, poking his head around a doorframe down the hall, smiling at him. “Come in!”

 

Haruka nodded his head, removed his shoes, and joined Makoto down the hall.

 

“I did hear you knock, by the way… I’m sorry I couldn’t get to the door.” Makoto frowned apologetically. “Mama and Papa are sick, and Ren and Ren needed their lunch…”

 

Haruka furrowed his eyebrows. “...Mama and Papa are sick?”

 

Makoto’s eyes widened, as if he had said something he wasn’t supposed to. “Oh, um-! ...well, yes…” He smiled reassuringly. “But don’t worry, they’ll be okay! They just need a bit of rest, is all…”

 

Before Haruka could become suspicious, the twins came stampeding into the hall, faces covered in whatever Makoto had given them for lunch, shrieking, “HARU! HARU!” He smiled faintly as they pounced at his legs, begging him to pick them up and play with them. Makoto grinned at them and excused himself as Haruka was occupied with his little siblings.

 

In their bedroom, Makoto’s parents coughed and gagged and retched. Fortunately, Haruka could not hear them over Ren and Ran’s oblivious squealing.

 

Makoto was not, and never had been, a liar. But he had lied when he told Haruka that his parents would be okay. A week passed by, and they did not show any sign of improvement. In fact, their condition only seemed to worsen by the day. Makoto was very reliable and dedicated, and was very good at taking care of his siblings; but he was only a boy. He was not a doctor, nor was he a father. Even with Haruka’s help, there was a limit to how long he could see to it that Ren and Ran were happy and healthy, as well as nurse his parents well enough to keep them alive. Makoto, the ever-persisting optimist, was beginning to feel hopeless.

 

A man came to the door one day. Makoto’s heart leaped at the possibility of who it could be. He had never sought out anyone’s help because he didn’t want to bother anyone, plus he feared that the expense of his parents’ treatment would be money that he did not have. But if someone was coming _to_ him, and _offering_ their help…! He left Haruka with his parents and hurried to the door.

 

The man was a stranger. They lived in a very tight-knit community where everyone knew everyone, and this man certainly was not from around here. He was a tall, well-dressed man, with a head of reddish hair and a groomed mustache. Makoto knew to never talk to strangers… But this man looked important. “Hello, son… What’s your name?”

 

“...um… I’m, Makoto, but… Who are you?”

 

The man smiled down at him. “Why, I’m a doctor, Makoto! Your neighbors were worried about the condition of your parents, as they haven’t been out in a while… And so they reached out to me and asked me to see what was the case.”

 

It would take the boys some time to find out, but this man was no doctor, nor had anyone reached out to him. He had been at the local pub and overheard someone talking about the “darling Tachibana children” and how nobody had heard from their parents for over a week. Interested, he asked about these “Tachibanas.” He was told, “Oh, they’re just about the _nicest_ people you’ll ever meet. Their son is the most selfless little boy- very strong and handsome for his age, too. And they have the most adorable three-year-old twins… They live on the house on top of the hill, and they come down to the market every other day to socialize. But lately, they haven’t been… I sure do hope they’re alright…”

 

And so the man finished his drink and traveled up the hill to see for himself these “darling children.”

 

But of course, Makoto couldn’t possibly know that. He gazed up at him as if he was a blessing sent straight from Heaven, eyes wide and innocent. “Thank goodness you’re here-! Mama and Papa are very, very sick… Please help them, mister…!”

 

“Of course. Just show me to them.”

 

Makoto led him eagerly to his parents’ bedroom. “Haru, look! It’s a doctor! He’s come to help us…!” he explained excitedly, nearly in tears.

 

The man looked confused. Who was this dark-haired boy? Obviously not one of the three-year-olds… “Who is this young man?” he asked Makoto.

 

“This is Haru, my best friend! His mama and papa aren’t around, so we let him stay here,” Makoto told him with a smile. But the smile quickly faded into a concerned frown. “But um, sir, are they going to be okay…?” He nodded at his sleeping parents.

 

“I’ll have to give them a quick check-up to find out… So, can you boys please excuse me for a moment?”

 

Makoto nodded immediately, hurrying out of the room. Haruka, on the other hand, was a little less trusting. He stared at the man suspiciously for a few seconds before standing, still not removing his eyes from him, and reluctantly following after his friend.

 

The man did not like the look in Haruka’s eyes. Yet at the same time, it excited him.

 

Minutes passed by. The boys waited outside the door, Makoto nervously, Haruka just wondering who exactly this mysterious “doctor” was. When the man emerged from the room, he wore a somber expression that wiped the glimmer of hope right out of Makoto’s eyes. “...I’m very sorry, boys, but… They have an extreme case of influenza. It’s too late for them.”

 

Devastation swept across Makoto’s face like a shadow; even Haruka froze, his eyes widening in horror. “...s-so, they’re gonna… _Die_?” Makoto confirmed in a choked whisper.

 

The man nodded poignantly. "I’m terribly sorry… I'll have to call a funeral director for you boys... Do you have anywhere to go? Any other relatives?”

 

Tears jumped into Makoto’s eyes. He shook his head slowly. “...n-no… We… we don’t have anywhere else…”

 

“Well, if you’d like… You can come live with me.”

 

Makoto glanced at Haru, then back at the man, confused. “...h-huh?”

 

The man kneeled closer to their height, looking back and forth between them. “You see, I live on a nice, big farm, and it gets a little lonely there. I would be more than happy to take you in.”

 

Makoto bit his lip. “But, sir… I’ve got a little brother and sister, too… I can’t leave them…”

 

“Who says you have to?” The man smiled. “They can come along, too. We’ll be a big, happy family.” Haruka was severely alarmed. This man had uttered less than fifty words to them, and he was attempting to _adopt_ them? He looked at Makoto with a subtly pleading expression; to his disturbance, Makoto didn’t seem to find the situation strange at all.

 

“May I… go pack my things?” he asked in a shaky whisper.

 

“Of course you may, Makoto.”

 

Sniffling, he left Haruka’s side.

 

“And what about you, Haru, was it? Do you need to get your things?” Haruka did not trust this man one bit, and he was frustrated that Makoto did. But… it was true that there was nowhere else to go, if Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana were dying. And he knew he would follow Makoto anywhere he went… “...I don’t have anything,” he murmured, refusing to look at the man. He waited, clenching his fists, for Makoto to return with whatever he was bringing with him to this “farm” the man spoke of,

 

“...um, mister? One more thing... Can I… can we, say good-bye?” Makoto requested in a small voice, appearing with a couple bags in his hands.

 

“Of course.”

 

Haruka followed Makoto blindly into his parents’ bedroom. They weren’t even dead yet, why were they telling them their final good-byes now…? What if this man was a phony, and they got better? How could Makoto not see this possibility?! ...perhaps Makoto’s optimism wasn’t as endless as Haruka had always thought.

 

“...um… Mama… Papa… We’re gonna go, now… I’m sorry I let you get so sick… I tried, I really did…! Um… I love you, very very much… If you get better, come find us…! But if you don’t, um…” Makoto couldn’t finish. He burst into tears, grasping helplessly at his sickly parents’ shirts. Now that Haruka really looked at them… he could see why it was unlikely that they would live. Clearly, they were dying.

 

Haruka’s eyes widened as he felt his heart throb in his chest. ...he loved the Tachibanas. They treated him as their own, and he felt like he truly was one of them. He loved them… and they were dying. This realization hit him a thousand times harder than the thought that his own biological parents were probably dead had. Despite his young age, Haruka was rather stoic. ...but at that moment, he started to cry.

 

The boys managed to bring themselves to their feet after a few tearful minutes. Wiping at their tears, they closed the door behind them, and went to retrieve the twins. “Oh, aren’t they just precious…” the man crooned, gently taking them into his arms. They shrieked in protest, but he shushed them. “Shhh, little ones… Your Mama and Papa are gone, but I’ll take good care of you.” He smiled; but Haruka could have sworn it was a smirk. “All of you. Now, come along, boys.”

 

Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana died the following afternoon. It took the neighborhood another week to find out.

 

Haruka would find out that he had been right about his suspicions toward the man that had come and taken them away. But Makoto would never realize that he had been wrong.

 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

 

Eight years ago.

 

Rin Matsuoka was ten years old when his father died; his younger sister, Gou, was nine. They had been a happy, functional little family of four before he suddenly died in his sleep. And now they were falling apart.

 

The kids didn’t like to point the blame at anyone, but it was evident that the crumbling of their happiness was mostly their mother’s fault. Of course she was devastated over her husband’s death; any woman would be. The children, too, fell into a state of mild shock and depression. ...but Mrs. Matsuoka was not simply in mourning. She was losing her sanity; she had become a completely different woman. Rin and Gou barely had time to mourn over their dead father, because they were too busy living in fear of their psychotic mother.

 

Every morning, she would ask her children where their father was. It hurt them too much to say, “Dad is dead,” so typically, they stayed silent when she asked. However, if they didn’t respond, she would scream and shake them until they either said something, or started to cry. If they told her they didn’t know, or made something up, she called them liars and slapped them. They were too afraid to find out what would happen if told her the truth. ...until that year, she had never once raised her voice or laid an offensive hand on her children.

 

She talked to herself, stopped eating, took up alcohol, quit her job… And she showed no signs of having any hope of returning to herself. Rin and Gou wanted to get away, escape this woman that had once been their loving mother; but they would learn that they should be careful what they wish for.

 

Mrs. Matsuoka had run out of booze. “Rin, Gou… Come on, darlings, we’re going to the market,” she called in a tone that was a sickening impression of the sincere kindness with which she used to speak. Rin and Gou’s fear of what she’d do if they opposed her was greater than their lack of desire to run errands with her, and so they silently obeyed and followed her into town.

 

They walked behind their mother, hand-in-hand, eyes down. “Oh my, look over there, kids!” Mrs. Matsuoka suddenly gasped. What she pointed at was a simple flower shop, hardly worthy of the awe in her voice. “What beautiful flowers…. Hmm, I think I ought to buy some for your father. I’ll put them in a nice vase, for him to see when he comes back home…”

 

“He _isn’t_ coming home.” All three of the Matsuokas came to a halt, all because of what Rin had just muttered: Mrs. Matsuoka offended by it, Gou terrified because he had said it, and Rin in shock because he had not meant to say it out loud. Mrs. Matsuoka turned around, slowly, threateningly.

 

“.... _what_ did you just say, young man?” she growled.

 

Rin opened his mouth to apologize, or deny having said anything, or lie about what it was he had said. ...but then he closed it. No. He was sick of lying. He was sick of living in fear of his mother’s insanity, in despair over how she treated the death of the man that had meant the world to him. He was sick of it. He was _done_. He lifted his eyes from the ground and stared her right in the face. “I said, he isn’t coming home,” he repeated in a clearer voice. “He’s dead, Mom. Dad died. Denying it won’t bring him back.”

 

Gou looked up at her brother with horror in her eyes, silently pleading with him to stop talking before he made it worse. But he ignored her gaze and continued to stare down their mother. “...you little… Lying… _Brat_ ,” Mrs. Matsuoka hissed. She grabbed her son by the collar of his shirt, yanking him hard enough to pull his hand out of Gou’s. “How _dare_ you. How…. How fucking _dare_ you!   _Dead_ …. Don’t be so morbid… I did not raise you to be so MORBID!” she shouted.

 

“Mommy, you’re hurting him-!” Gou shrieked, covering her mouth.

 

“SHUT UP!” she screamed at the poor girl. Nonetheless, she released Rin’s collar, shoving him away from her in disgust. “Brats. That’s all you two are. You watch. I’m going to go home, right now, and your father will be there. He’ll be there waiting for me!” she insisted, pushing past her children and starting down the road. Starting to cry, Gou spun around and began to follow after her, but she stopped her. “NO! You two stay here! I don’t EVER want to see you again! And if you come back home… I’ll _kill_ you. Then _you’ll_ be the dead ones!” And with those bitter words, she was gone.

 

They had a terrible feeling that she had meant what she said.

 

“....Big Brother… What are we going to do now?” Gou whispered. She clenched a death grip on her brother’s hand.

 

“...I… I don’t know, Gou.” Rin knew he had to be strong for his little sister. But he couldn’t prevent the tears welling up in his eyes. He pulled Gou, who had broken down into sobs, against his shoulder, so that she couldn’t see his own tears.

 

Just then, a carriage came down the road. It was small, but made out of some fine quality wood, and pulled by two horses that seemed to be one of the sturdiest breeds. The reddish-haired man driving the carriage noticed the two children crying on the side of the road and brought the cart to a halt. “What’s the matter, little ones?” he called. Gou gasped when she realized they were the ones being spoken to, and hid behind her brother. Their father had always taught them to never talk to strangers.

 

But Rin didn’t seem to care much about that rule at the moment. “Our mother is a _witch_ ,” he spat, his voice cracking with the effort of holding back his tears.

 

“A witch, eh?” The man set down the reigns and heaved himself down from the carriage. It was now that Rin acknowledged that he had no reason to trust or talk to this man, and so his shoulders stiffened in alarm. ...but he was also still very upset with his mother.

 

“She’s gone crazy… And she told us that she’d kill us if we ever came home again…” he mumbled, blinking hard so he didn’t cry.

 

“Kill you? Well, that’s not something a mother should ever say to her children…” Rin shook his head. A second later, Gou shook hers, too. “What are your names?”

 

Rin wasn’t quite comfortable or daring enough to tell him THAT much, so he stayed silent. So did Gou. The man smiled beneath his mustache. “Alright, I suppose you don’t need to answer that… Well, I’ll have you know that I run a home for unwanted and orphaned children.” A lie. This was an absolute lie. But Rin and Gou had no idea. “If you don’t want to return to your _awful_ mother, I would gladly take you in.”

 

Rin’s eyes widened hopefully; but then he furrowed his eyebrows suspiciously. “...what’s your name?”

 

“Dr. Shigino: philanthropist,” the man answered without missing a beat. The only truth in his response was the “Shigino.”

 

“...Rin.”

 

“Dr. Shigino” tilted his head in confusion. “What was that?”

 

“Rin. My name is… Rin. And, this is my sister, Gou. And I… we…. don’t want to go home.”

 

Shigino suppressed a smirk. Oh, how simple it was to appeal to abused children. He put on a false, warm grin. “Well, I would be happy to welcome you into my home.”

 

“Um…” Gou tugged sheepishly on Rin’s sleeve. “Big Brother? Is this… really a good idea?” she whispered nervously into Rin’s ear.

 

“It isn’t like we have anywhere else we can go,” Rin murmured back. He looked up at the man with feigned confidence. “We’ll come with you.”

 

“Ah, how wonderful! Come along, little dears.”

 

Neither Gou nor Rin truly believed that this decision was a completely safe one. But… they hadn’t felt any sort of hope ever since Mr. Matsuoka died, and so they clung to this little uncertain one.

 

“That’s it, just over the hill,” Shigino announced as they approached what was clearly a farm. Rin narrowed his eyes skeptically.

 

“....this, doesn’t look like an orphanage…”

 

Shigino smirked. “Don’t worry, you’ll like it here… There are two boys your age that live with me too. You’ll get along just fine.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1/3 of the prologue. ^^ Part 2 will feature Rei, Nagisa, and the Mikoshiba siblings.  
> This chapter didn't come out nearly as well as I had hoped... ;A; I hope you enjoyed it, anyway! :'3


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